This year, the program took 3,665 pounds of trash from Haywood’s streams, with Haywood Community College’s Wildlife Club taking 2,460 pounds in a single day. 

That’s a lot of trash, but it’s less than has been recorded in the past. 

“I don’t know if people are doing the right thing by keeping trash out of the streams or if it was the drought and less runoff washing trash into the streams,” said Shannon Rabby, lead instructor of Fish and Wildlife Management Technology at HCC.

The majority of the trash was glass containers, plastic bottles, and shopping bags. Some of the larger items included a kiddy pool, shingles, tires, shopping cart, lawn chair and a queen-sized quilt. But for a point of comparison, Rabby added, the group collected only four tires compared to a dozen in previous years. 

Haywood Waterways started Adopt-A-Stream in 2009, since then recruiting 1,005 volunteers to remove more than 17 tons of trash from local streams.

Trash not only takes away from the beauty of the landscape, but it can clog intake pipes for drinking water supplies and irrigation operations, interfere with recreation, harm wildlife and impact the local economy.

Christine O’Brien, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.476.4667.